Steak and Kidney Pie

 steakandkidneypie

Ingredients

  • 25g lard
  • 1 large onion, though I like 2 or 3
  • 700g beef cut up into 3 cm cubes
  • 300g lamb or veal kidney, cored and cut into pieces
  • 25g flour
  • 300ml stock
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 400g puff pastry - I use the frozen sort.

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C
  2. Heat the lard in a pan and add the onions and fry for 5 minutes.
  3. Season the kidney and steak and toss in flour and add to the onions and fry for another 10 minutes until browned.
  4. Stir in the stock and add the seasoning.
  5. Place in a casserole and cook until tender.  Time depends upon the quality of the meet and it could be 2 or 3 hours.
  6. Once cooked allow the meat to cool.
  7. Turn up the oven to 230C
  8. Turn into a wide rimmed pie dish.
  9. Roll out a strip of pastry approximately 1" wide.  Dampen the rim of the pie dish with water and put the strip of pastry on the rim.
  10. Dampen the pastry and roll out sufficient pastry to cover the pie.  Do not roll it out too thinly otherwise it will barely puff when baked.
  11. Cut two holes in the pie cover with a pair of scissors to allow the steam out.
  12. Seal the edges of the pie and trim.  I use a wooden lemon squeezer to do the sealing.
  13. Brush the pastry with whisked egg.
  14. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 220C for a further 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Although Puff Pastry is available in France (pâte feuilletée) it does not behave like British Puff Pastry which can easily be brought to France and refrozen.  Except on the hotest of days it will survive the journey.  Or you can make your own.

Method to make individual steak and kidney pies

  1. 1 to 7 above.
  2. Roll our the puff pastry until about 4mm thick and line 10cm round or oval pie dishes.
  3. Brush the pastry with egg white and allow to dry in a warm oven.  This seals the pastry and prevents the pastry becoming soggy.
  4. Fill the pies with the meat mixture keeping the liquid to a minimum
  5. Dampen the pastry and roll out sufficient pastry to cover the pie.  Do not roll it out too thinly otherwise it will barely puff when baked.
  6. Cut two holes in the pie cover with a pair of scissors to allow the steam out.
  7. Seal the edges of the pie and trim.  I use a wooden lemon squeezer to do the sealing.
  8. Brush the pastry with whisked egg.
  9. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 220C for a further 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.